Urbanspoon – Nusara Thai Kitchen

Lately whenever I go to a restaurant the first thought that pops into my mind is “What would Chef Ramsey say about this place”. I look at the decor, I analyze the dishes, the menu and the staff. Watching plenty of “Kitchen Nightmares” has given me a different outlook on the restaurant experience.

We decided to take my friend here for her birthday. The first thing I noticed at Nusara was the massive menu. There were so many options where I simply felt overwhelmed and I had no idea what to order. So to prevent myself from getting a migraine I went with the options that I recognize. I looked for something quick and easy that I knew was difficult to mess up.

For starters we had the fried Calamari. I did not find it much different from much of the fried calamari I have had at other places. That is not necessarily a good thing or a bad thing. I found it to be rather chewy and the breading was rather lackluster. But again, it was as good as most places you will have calamari from, the dipping sauce was pretty good and made it tasty. It wasn’t any better or worst than most calamari I’ve had in Queens establishments. So I’ll say it’s up to snuff.

We also had Fish Cakes appetizers, these were a bit spicy, but ok. I’m not a huge fan, but I thought I’d try it. I also tried a Fish ball, this I simply did not like. It felt like a ball of slime with breading outside, to me this was gross. Blah.

My Fiancee ordered the Crab fried rice, this was a little heavy on the onions, but the dish was delicious. I shared with her and finished it once she was full. I enjoyed this dish. My friend had the Snapper, I tried some of her dish, it was pretty good, it didn’t taste fishy or anything like that, pretty yummy.

For my main course I had Salmon with Basil and Chicken Broth Rice. The salmon was salmon, really nothing bad or great, just salmon. A little dry, but the sauce and peppers it came with worked just fine for wetting it and providing some much needed moisture. They actually forgot my rice, but after a brief reminder they promptly delivered it.

The staff was friendly, we had a softly appearing gentleman, he was attentive to the table and appears to be a very nice guy. I think we were all pleased with his service. Forgetting my rice aside.

I had a Pina Colada as a “treat”, it was blah. If you want a tropical drink, pass on this spot. Also my friend wanted one without sugar because she’s borderline diabetic, but they said all the drinks are premixed and cannot be customized. I immediately shifted into Chef Ramsey mode, “PREMADE DRINKS! WHAT THE FOCK! YOU CAN’T PREMAKE DRINKS, THAT’S DISGUSTING! CLOSE YOUR DOORS, CLOSE THE FOCKING DOORS!”. Lol.

Overall the place was ok, I enjoyed the food overall and I have no real complaints in so far as the service. Around dinner time the place was packed and quite busy, so it seems like business is good. If you are in the area, and want to try decent food, give it a shot. Will I go back there specifically to eat at the place, not likely. There are too many places to try, and nothing here warrants going so far out of my area for a return visit.